Oct 2008
Bloomfield Talks Tea Party
17/10/08 20:58 Post: Commissions
Taken at 3:04pm at St. Peters Church, Lytham Road. Blackpool. Saturday 11th October 2008.
In September I was asked to document the website launch of the community-based arts project ‘Bloomfield Talks’. After the madness of the NALGAO conference, this was a nice way to round off a busy week of work. There were quiet moments where people would write down their experiences of the Bloomfield area juxtaposed with live web-broadcasts, balloons, cake, music & much more!
‘Bloomfield Talks’ is a year-long oral history project commissioned by Blackpool Council and runs between July 2008 and February 2009. The project focuses upon the experiences of people who have connections with the Bloomfield, Foxhall, Revoe and near South Shore area of Blackpool. At the heart of ‘Bloomfield Talks’ is team of local volunteers brought together specifically for the project. Ranging in age from the late teens to the late seventies, the volunteers have engaged other local people in conversations and activities focusing on their daily lives in the area.
As one of the volunteers for the project I will be producing a series of photographs exploring the Illuminations Depot and its character. The depot is soon to be relocated, so this is perhaps the last opportunity to document the site.
I can’t wait...
A selection of ten photographs taken during the Bloomfield Talks Tea Party can now be viewed in the Commissions gallery.
Technical Information
Camera: Canon EOS 40D Digital SLR
Lens: Canon EF-S 17mm - 85mm IS USM
ISO: 320
Focal Length: 35mm
Shutter Speed: 1/125 sec
F-Stop: f/10.0
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Blackpool Walking Tour: Ballroom Dancing
15/10/08 21:54 Post: Commissions
Taken at 3:38pm in the Tower Ballroom, Blackpool. Thursday 9th October 2008.
On the second day of the NALGAO conference there were a series of breakout sessions & a variety of tours for delegates. I chose the ‘Blackpool Walking Tour’ in the afternoon and had a fantastic time learning about the heritage & history of the Winter Gardens, Tower Ballroom, Grand Theatre, Grundy Gallery and Teenage Library Space. I took this photograph in the Tower Ballroom and it is a moment I’ve waited to take for a long time. Ballroom dancing used to be huge and I can imagine the ballroom brimming with dancers back in the “old days”. There is certainly a special atmosphere when you step into the Tower Ballroom and I’d love to go back to take some more photographs.
‘Ballroom Dancing’ is available as a limited edition print.
Technical Information
Camera: Canon EOS 40D Digital SLR
Lens: Canon EF-S 17mm - 85mm IS USM
ISO: 1600
Focal Length: 17mm
Shutter Speed: 1/50 sec
F-Stop: f/4.0
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Blackpool Illuminations Tour
14/10/08 23:26 Post: Commissions
Taken at 8:37pm during the Blackpool Illuminations Tour. Wednesday 8th October 2008.
The conference was an exciting opportunity to photograph a number of events and presentations. The highlight of the morning was Wayne Hemingway MBE (Co-founder of Red or Dead & Hemingway Design) and his keynote speech (or should that be performance?!). In the afternoon there was an ‘Open Space’ forum which provided a major opportunity for delegates to discuss their ideas and concerns. In the early evening we all gathered for the annual AGM meeting at the Grundy Gallery, set with a beautiful backdrop of the current exhibition from Heather & Ivan Morison entitled ‘The Opposite Of All Those Things’. After the minutes were taken, we walked towards North Pier to be taken for a tram tour of the Blackpool Illuminations. I’ve never been on the tour before, so it was great to finally learn more about about it and take in the whole experience.
Taking photographs in trams at night time is quite a task! There isn’t much available light (surprisingly for an Illuminations tour), however I did my best to use what was there. This is my favourite photograph from the tour and shows the conductor keeping an eye on proceedings.
Technical Information
Camera: Canon EOS 40D Digital SLR
Lens: Canon EF-S 17mm - 85mm IS USM
ISO: 1600
Focal Length: 22mm
Shutter Speed: 1/80 sec
F-Stop: f/4.0
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NALGAO Delegates
13/10/08 06:47 Post: Commissions
Taken at 2:27pm in the Spanish Hall at Winter Gardens, Blackpool. Wednesday 8th October 2008.
This is my first blog post featuring a photograph taken during my photography residency at the NALGAO ‘Switched On!’ Conference 2008. The three-day event was held at the spectacular Winter Gardens and was a fantastic experience. The NALGAO conference has become a key date in the national arts calendar and is an important event for local authorities and their delegates. As mentioned in one of my previous posts, this year’s conference focussed upon “the contribution that the arts and creative industries make in building sustainable communities and supporting regeneration”.
The photograph above shows the reactions from delegates during Wayne Hemingway’s (Co-founder of Red or Dead and Hemingway Design) keynote speech (or should that be performance?!). All the keynote speeches were situated in the beautiful art-deco Spanish Hall, which is lavishly themed with its three-dimensional frieze representing an Andalusian village (which you’ll be able to see in my other photographs!).
I will have the final edit from the conference up on the site within the next few days. Many more new photographs to follow (including the marvellous Civic Reception at the Tower Ballroom)...
Technical Information
Camera: Canon EOS 40D Digital SLR
Lens: Canon EF-S 17mm - 85mm IS USM
ISO: 800
Focal Length: 81mm
Shutter Speed: 1/80 sec
F-Stop: f/5.6
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